Ph.D. Program

Several advanced degree programs are offered at UTA but one of the most innovative is the Ph.D. in Chemistry, which includes an industrial internship. This program is ideally suited for students interested in a career in chemical, pharmaceutical, and biotech industries, government and industrial laboratories, or in academic institutions. The program’s areas of research include analytical chemistry, biochemistry, bioinorganic chemistry, colloid and surface chemistry, electrochemistry, inorganic chemistry, medicinal chemistry, organic chemistry, organometallic chemistry, physical chemistry, polymer chemistry, and theoretical chemistry.

In addition to the traditional Ph.D. curriculum, the program mandates that students acquire working knowledge of the type of research conducted in industry and of the constraints (both practical and philosophical) under which it is carried out. This industrial internship is a required component of the doctoral degree at UTA and, in fact, is one of the more popular components of our program and distinguishes us from most other doctoral chemistry programs. During the industrial internship, you will spend three to four months interning at industrial or government research companies such as Merck, Alcon Labs, SABIC, GlaxoSmithKline, Bayer, and Exxon-Mobil, to name a few. This internship is obtained for the student by the Department and every effort is made to match the type of work and the company with the student's interests. This internship is often invaluable in guiding and obtaining research positions at these same and related companies.

The internship requirement recognizes the importance of providing chemistry graduate students with a broad range of research experiences and to better prepare them for the transition from academia to careers as practicing chemists. This practical research experience has proven very valuable in helping students to define their career objectives, expand their knowledge of the range of chemical research opportunities and, ultimately, can offer students a significant advantage when looking for their first job.

The traditional (required and elective) coursework includes analytical, biological, inorganic, organic, and physical chemistry courses. Instead of taking comprehensive or cumulative examinations, our students are required, by the middle of their third year, to write and orally defend a proposal based on an original research idea. The final degree requirement, upon completion of their research, is the writing and oral defense of the dissertation.

About the Internship

The internship may be taken any time after formal admission to the Ph.D. program, subject to the availability of suitable positions and the desires of the student and the research advisor. Note that the timing of the internship does not affect the timing of the proposal defense. The proposal must be defended in or prior to the fifth long semester as a graduate student, even if the internship is taken earlier.

Successful completion of an industrial or government internship is a degree requirement of the Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry at UTA. The purpose of the internship is to familiarize the student with how research is done in a non-academic setting and thereby better prepare the student for a career in industry. Financial support during the internship will be provided by the company or government lab. The industrial internship is arranged by the student's research supervisor and/or the department chairman and must be approved by the Committee on Graduate Studies (CGS).

Normally the internship will involve research in the general area of the student’s doctoral research, but the research accomplished during the internship will not be included in the student's dissertation. Instead, a brief (~1 page) typed, written summary of the goal(s) and accomplishments achieved during the internship will be submitted to the Graduate Advisor and mark the successful completion of the degree requirement. The internship will normally start at the beginning of an academic semester and last the equivalent of one academic semester. The student will enroll in CHEM 6304 and CHEM 6904 during the time period of the internship. All students on internship will still be considered full-time students during the internship and must be enrolled in 12 credit hours.

Admission Criteria

Admission to graduate programs at UTA is competitive! Each academic department at UTA sets its own admissions requirements and makes independent admission decisions. In evaluating candidates for admission to its graduate degree programs, the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry uses the holistic review process—readers give careful consideration to all the credentials presented by the student as they assess the application materials for indicators that the applicant possesses qualities known to contribute to successful completion of the degree program. Such a review seeks to determine if the applicant has not only the academic qualifications for admission but also the skills and experiences that facilitate degree completion and a successful research career. Recommendations from our own faculty, based on first-hand knowledge of the applicant or a faculty member at the applicant’s institution, are also very important when reviewing applications.

Unconditional Admission

Unconditional admission may be granted under any one of the following options. The minimum undergraduate GPA requirement for all options is 3.0, as calculated by Graduate Admissions. Admission to the Chemistry & Biochemistry Department is not guaranteed if all requirements have been met.

A satisfactory completion of a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent, official transcripts, GRE scores, language requirements (if applicable) and three letters of recommendation.

Provisional Admission

An applicant unable to supply all required documentation prior to the admission deadline but who otherwise appears to meet admission requirements may be granted provisional admission. A deferred decision may be granted when a file is incomplete or when a denied decision is not appropriate.

Probationary Admission

In rare cases, probationary admission may be granted as the result of a substandard performance on one or more of the admission criteria. In this case, the Graduate Advisor will set additional conditions for admission including, but not limited to, additional undergraduate coursework and/or achieving a B or better in the first nine hours of graduate coursework.

Denial of Admission

A candidate may be denied admission if they have less than satisfactory performance on a majority of the admission criteria described above.